


Champion, Champion

by whatacatch_noelle



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ADHD Lance, Angst, Angst and Fluff, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Character Development, Character Study, Conversations, F/M, Friendship, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Keith is eighteen, Lance (Voltron) is a Dork, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance and Hunk are seventeen, Lance is Pidge's adoptive big brother, M/M, Matt Holt has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Matt and Lance are buDDIES, Matt and Shiro are best friends, Matt is a nERD, Matt is the best big brother, Matt is twenty four, Minor Relationships, More tags to be added, Other, PTSD mentioned, Pidge is fifteen, Pidge uses she/her pronouns, Shiro and Matt have conversations revolving around their time in space, Shiro is twenty six, and they are kids, basically determined by reader, because its a war, how did i forget that so soon, if you squint there is Keith/Lance but you need a microscope to see it, lets be real, maybe the real plot is the development they made along the way, they get along really well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 10:56:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12839697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatacatch_noelle/pseuds/whatacatch_noelle
Summary: "You never changed, did you?"Once best friends, always best friends. (they once had a handshake, back then. But he could hardly remember now. Besides, he didn't want to break Matt's knuckles with his Galran hand.) But sometimes you have to navigate the roads in between a little. Especially when it's been manipulated by space, time, teenagers, and genocidal alien species.A collection of conversations revolving around Shiro and Matt and how they learn to live with themselves and learn to live on.





	Champion, Champion

I.

“So….Champion, huh?” Matt leans one elbow against the wall, his coat falling heavy on his wrists and draping him like a shadow that got too attached to a mortal soul. Shiro thinks he knows the feeling.

“Please,” Shiro grit his teeth and shut his eyes tight, working his jaw. ”don’t call me that.” Some days he can handle it. But not from Matt. Not from the one who heard about him, _Champion_ , from everything alien and unfamiliar.

“Yeah,” and his voice is unsurprisingly softer (of course it is, it’s still Matt he’s talking about) “I think hero suits you better.”

He lets out a bitter laugh and let’s his Galra hand fall from his face. “I think you mean monster, more like.”

“No.” Matt’s voice takes on an uncharacte-no, sometimes he sounded like this. When he had to stand up for himself, Katie. When someone said he was wrong and by God he knew damn well he was right. He sounded like that now. “I mean hero. Shiro.”

He drops his arm from the wall and sits heavily beside Shiro. Shiro finds Matt’s face from beneath his tangled,poorly cut mess of hair. He finds a smile and pieces himself back together like Matt’s face between the strands. Matt has the signature Holt smile on his face. Half dopey and wry.

“Besides, they sound alike. Science says it must be true.”

Shiro winces out a laugh. “You never changed, did you?”

“Pretty quick to make observations there aren’t we, Takashi? Did the Garrison teach you nothing?”

“Well,” he rumbles out a sigh, the ghost of a smile stretches his face and he flops backwards on the bed-“based on your shitty attempts at humor I’d say I’m pretty accurate. You never changed.”

It’s Matt’s turn to laugh. He throws his head back and the noise he makes seems to loud for the intimate space.

“You’re just the same as well.”

He lets his eyes drift close and his legs collapse and slip himself down the wall, face now even with Shiro’s flat figure on the bed.

“I know we went to a “militarized astrophysics and magic spacecraft school” or whatever the official name for it was-God, I can’t even remember- but pardon my philosophical question here: why does it feel like nothing and everything’s changed? It’s been what?,” He gestures with his hands, “two years?”

The statement shocks him for a second. Without alien jargon _years_ seems so much more...real.

“Two? Really?”

Matt nudges him. “Seems like nothing, right?”

“No, I’m saying it’s felt like forever.”

Matt’s eyes twinkle, for the barest of a second, he looks exactly like Katie-or vice versa-they are more alike than they like to think. Shiro smiles at the thought.

“I think that’s just because we are reaching our early adult crisis.”

“Must be it. Twenty six has never felt so old.”

Matt feigns horror-he’ll get along great with Lance Shiro thinks absentmindedly-“Damn, if twenty four feels this bad then twenty six must be hell.”

Shiro flexes his Galra hand. “Yep. Hell.”

* * *

 

II.

“What’s with the cape?”

Matt startles and drops his spoon. He stares forlornly at it on the ground for a few seconds before twisting around to face Shiro, who himself is tentatively turning the food dispenser knobs.

“What are you? Edna Mode?” Matt makes a horrid attempt at mimicking the cartoon woman’s face and an even worse attempt at her voice. _“No capes."_

Shiro snorts and decides to leave the device to Hunk and Pidge’s hands and just come eat at the announced times instead of risking his life with an alien nozzle. “Great impression. But seriously, why the cape?”

“Uh, cause, it’s badass.”

“I don’t think you realize this but you and badass do not fit in the same sentence.”

Matt uses said cape to wipe off the spoon from the ground and points it accusingly at Shiro. “I am wounded. I am feeling betrayed. And quite frankly, I think you are the one mistaken here because have you seen my moves? I’m like a goddamn _ninja_ in this thing.”

“The only thing ninja like about you is your brain.”

Matt opens his mouth for a second and then closes it with a pondering look on his face. “I don’t know if I should be insulted or not.”

Shiro quirks a side of his mouth. “Just take the compliment.”

Matt hums and shrugs. "Thanks or whatever."

Shiro rolls his eyes, turning his back to Matt and moves onto figuring out where Pidge hid the dried fruit from their last liberated planet. He really needs to talk to Matt about her hoarding problem. It isn't long before the prolonged pause in the conversation allows each's mind to wander to noncommittal things. Daily tasks-which sadly, involved strategics and imminent combat planning. Maybe Shiro will read instead. They finish their pleasant nothingness in mutual silence before Matt finally clears his throat.

“There’s nothing really incredible about this cloak. I found it at an alien flea market in the Doxi System about...six or seven months ago, guesstimating here. It isn’t like your fancy paladin undersuit, but it does regulate heat well and other than that, it’s pretty comfortable. Makes for an awesome blanket too.”

Shiro  nods. “Not going to lie, it does look cozy. And the origin story is much more preferable to what it could have been.”

“Yeah. Could have gone a lot darker.” Matt laughs sharply before ducking his head so his face was awash in shadows-it’s much easier to see the definition in his face than it was under the lights- _“hey kid, wanna know how I got this cloak_?”

“You are so _weird_ .”

“Haven’t you heard the saying that you become like the people you were around the most? You’re just as weird as me.”

It’s a soft look Shiro gives Matt, it takes away the age that shouldn’t have existed on Shiro’s face and hollows out the sorrow that draped them like _capes_ .

“You’ll fit right in here.”

* * *

 

III.

Shiro finds Matt lying on the couch in the lounge room and typing on a holotablet above his head. Shiro almost opts for walking quietly by him and leaving Matt to his devices and settling quietly into the other side of the couch before Matt interrupts his plan.

“Do you know Altean by any chance?” He peers hopefully at Shiro and strains for his answer.

Shiro makes a face. “Bout as well as I know German.”

“ _Goddamnit_ .”

“Have you asked Pidge? She’s been trying to pick it up lately.”

Matt puts an arm over his face and raises his other hand in exasperation. “Yeah, emphasis on trying. Does anyone on this ship besides Allura and Coran know Altean?”

Shiro thinks for a second, trying to dredge up some sort of memory of a paladin mentioning it. Huh, he really needs to hang around them more. “No….I don’t think so.”

“ _Shit_ .”

“Wow, I know where Pidge got her mouth from.”

Matt still remains in his position. He points one finger with a matter of fact tone.

“Actually, you can blame our parents for that.”

Shiro cocks his head to the side in a knowing manner. “True. What do you even need it for? There should be translators on our databases.”

Matt positively growls with frustration. “Our rebel group has piece of shit technology and doesn’t have Altean in the databases because it was wiped out _ten thousand years ago._ "

“You can always ask Allura….” He fixes that knowing grin that would _definitely_ get him smacked in all realities if he were any closer to Matt. He lives for this. 

“Pffft...yeah. And have Lance kill me.”

Shiro laughs quietly in remembrance at Lance’s face when seeing Matt’s reaction to the princess for the first time.

“He’s a bit over-protective.”

Matt sighs. “I guess I should be thankful for that. I’m sure he’s acted like a great big brother to Katie in the meantime.”

Shiro smiles fondly. “Yeah, he has.” He shifts his weight to face Matt more. “You know, you two would probably get along. You seem quite compatible personality wise. Besides, I think he’s a tad bit jealous you’re here.” He makes a pinching motion with his fingers and squints. Matt scoffs.

“What? Now that Katie’s brother is here?”

Shiro nods unconsciously. He barely contains the _duh_ in his mouth.

“Yeah, I think that’s it.”

Matt stops his brooding under his arm and looks at Shiro in what must be a painful position- lying flat and neck strained to look at his face.

“Well, now I feel bad. Guess I gotta go talk to him sometime.”

“I think it would be good for you.”

Matt rolls his eyes but mentally checks that under his to do list.

“What are you? My therapist?”

He swings his legs over the side of the couch and shrinks the holotablet down to a phone size.

“That’d be nice to have,” Shiro says it more wistfully than he expects. “But it would be nice to have a lot of things right now.”

* * *

 

IV.

Matt practically throws himself onto Shiro’s bed later that day.

“You were right.”

Shiro raises an eyebrow. He stops himself from saying something smug-which likely stopped him from getting hit. God, Matt makes him almost remember what being a teenager was.

“About..?”

“The others. Lance and Hunk. They are awesome. I feel younger. I feel….. _.aliiiiveee_ .”

Shiro barks out a laugh. _Hah_. “Wait till you’re leading them on a mission. Lance in particular becomes quite draining. He gets excited over everything. It’s caused..... plenty of problems.”

“God that must be nice. The excitement part I mean. We have enough problems.” Matt burrows himself into Shiro’s blankets-which were once nearly folded now a chaotic cocoon of coat, ginger hair, and blanket. “I wish I were still seventeen."

“Wait"-That didn’t sound right. “They aren’t eighteen yet?”

Something cold settled in his body _. Mental math- okay, it's been nearly two years, they had to be 16 when we left, right? Minimum age for the Garrison. Holy shit, minimum age. That's not right. That can't be right._

Matt gives him a curious look. “Not according to Lance. Hunk might be. Lance has a few more months, I think.”

Shiro stares at Matt numbingly, who is still under the covers. After prolonged silence Matt pops his entire head from underneath his spot and peers questioningly at Shiro.

“What?”

Shiro shakes his head as if he could drain the feeling away like chlorine water in summer ears. “I thought they were both at least nineteen. Oh my _God_ , Matt. They are kids too.” He almost adds "legally", but legality had no power in space. What was human power when the atmosphere was crushingly empty and beyond comprehension? What legalities ruled then? 

Matt seems unfazed. “Sucks, right.”

His tone doesn’t even signify it as a question. It was plain and simple, a statement of fact. That sickeningly made it better, however minuscule better could be. How did it go from being giddy, smug, to this unnameable awful emotion. It didn’t weigh him down, he felt all knowing and aware and pitied God. Minimum age. Three kids. Minimum age. Three kids. Minimu-

_I thought they were at least nineteen._

Shiro drags his flesh hand down his face. “Do you not get it?”

“What? That life isn’t fair?” Matt acts as this whole entire situation isn't ripping him apart. It almost tears Shiro even worse because _god_ , if this doesn't phase Matt then what will?

He lets his hand curl into a fist and shakily recoils it, flexing and unflexing his fingers as if it would wear the anxiety away. “No, Matt. I have on this team _three fucking child soldiers_ \- your _sister_ one of them. Keith and I are the only adults here. And Keith is only eighteen himself. Nineteen maybe. And he’s running missions with a kamikaze rebel Galra cult-“

“Takashi.”

“What.” He doesn’t mean to hiss it, but the word comes through his teeth like a knife. It’s sharp, deadly. He’s sure he looks like an animal; heaving breaths and stringy, run through hair. Matt looks at him with hard eyes. Not predator eyes, but with a familial look that Shiro can’t decipher if it’s condescending or not.

“This isn’t. your. fault.”

He knows this. He knows this isn’t his fault and there is no one to blame on this team but he was the black paladin _first_ and he should have know these were kids before him. Before laying out his judgments on the like tarot cards and reading into them- _immature, scared, unfit, not serious, irresponsible, reckless-_ he should have asked; known them more. How could he be so ignorant?

_“Takashi.”_

But there’s nothing left to do except give up the point now. God, he’s tired of worrying at twenty six. He’s tired of being tired of kids and death and war and his brother and- “I know. I know.”

Matt rolls unceremoniously to his back, still tangled in bed sheets but managing a serious, warm look all the same. “Remember, to them, you’re the hero. You still are.”

_Huh, that’s almost worse than already not living up to the name._


End file.
